Development of Diamond-Based Materials Systems for High-Power RF Electronics: Second-Year Report

Author(s):

Pulickel M Ajayan, Robert Vajtai, Xiang Zhang, Anand B Puthirath, Abhijit Biswas, Eliezer Oliveira, Chenxi Li, Harikishan Kannan, Tia Gray, Tony Ivanov, A Glen Birdwell, Dmitry Ruzmetov, Mahesh Neupane, Pankaj Shah, Sergey Rudin, James Weil, and Leonard De La Cruz, Derwin Washington, Stephen B Kelley, and Bradford B Pate

Abstract:

The report details second-year research effort that is part of the Cooperative Agreement between Rice University and the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. The project aims to develop diamond and diamond-based heterostructures for the next generation of ultra-wide-bandgap electronic devices, with performances far exceeding existing diamond devices as well as other wide-bandgap materials–based devices. The Rice team focuses on the growth of high-quality single-crystal diamond substrates, heterostructures of diamond, and boron nitride; and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory is building high-performance electronic devices based on diamond, specifically using transfer doping of hydrogenated diamond surfaces. Rice has established a world-class facility to grow single-crystal diamond and heterostructures. First- and second-year work has included growth and transfer of boron nitride on commercially available diamond substrates, doping using ion implantation, deposition of the boron nitride structure on diamond, development of unique metrology tools to characterize diamond surfaces, heterostructures, surface modification using hydrogenation and oxygenation, and theoretical models to understand the growth, adhesion energy, and surface characteristics of diamond and diamond–boron nitride heterostructures. The synergy between the two institutions establishes a close working relationship leading to the synthesis of controlled diamond materials and their use in high-power devices.